I had every intention of being asleep early tonight, but that didn’t end up happening – especially after Kara and Kaitlyn decided that they needed to do a sleepover together, and Mom and Dad won the draw for which house that sleepover would be happening at. The lounge ended up being sleepover party central; and Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and Kara only went to bed about twenty-five minutes ago after finishing the movie that I had hoped would put them to sleep; but didn’t.
Mom and Dad skipped Tai Chi, but I was up at the normal time, and so were Ethan and Ehlana, so I took them outside with me after dealing with a couple of diaper changes and putting coffee on to brew for when Mom and Dad did get up. After a night filled with music and noise, exercising by the river seemed even more peaceful than normal; and I really loved getting to share that time with my little brother and sister. After going inside again, I had time to get them both dressed for church before Mom and Dad made an appearance, and they took over from there while I went upstairs to have a shower and get ready for church too.
Violet and I both helped Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and Kara get ready for the day, and then Violet took her turn in my bathroom while the rest of us went downstairs to hang out with Mom, Dad, and the twins until breakfast was ready. We ate out on the back porch, and then Violet and I took care of the cleanup while Mom and Dad were busy getting ready for church too. It was hot in the church again, and the entire Sunday school class ended up going outside; spreading out around the church and school grounds, and doing our lessons while sitting under shady oaks with the breeze helping to keep us more comfortable than we would have been in our usual classrooms.
Lunch was at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne’s; and they had nearly all of the Johnson and Ayres families there, along with most of the visiting friends of the now-honeymooning bride and groom. Mom and Dad were on the work crew for that, and Dillon was working at the Inn, so Violet, Rowen and I were both on kid-control. We all got changed at home first, and started out our play afternoon with a swim in the river after meeting up again at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne’s. After that, we played in the back yard, tossing Frisbees or baseballs around; blowing bubbles – mostly for Nicole’s entertainment; and having a mini soccer game that Eddie recruited Jonathan and Kyle to help him with for a girls against the guys match. That might not have been fair for us, except we ended up with a few extra girls on our side – including Chrissy, Michelle, and Tory. Eddie was the only player taking the game seriously, and the guys did manage to win, but we all had fun; and that game took us through until lunch was ready.
Two hours of eating and cleanup later, and it was time for the visiting guests to pack up and head for home. Kara, Eddie, and Nicole were busy with their parents for a while, so Rowen and I took Jaimie and Kaitlyn for a little canoe ride before getting back in time to help with the goodbye hugs and kisses. We added Kara and Eddie to our little group once their parents were on the road, and we went to the park for the rest of the afternoon; hanging out at the playground, and going for a couple of swims when we needed to cool off.
Since our five guests were only here for one Sunday, we went to the Inn for the late buffet so that Christine and Andrew could come too after closing the Emporium for the night; and we had Grandmas and Grandpas Johnson and Proctor; the Seagers; and Emersons all come too. Mom and Dad had both been busy working almost all day, and Dad still needed to work in the office after we got home from the Inn; but Mom, Aunt Leanne, and Violet all went swimming with us after getting an overnight bag ready for Kara, and a little back yard play time.
I’ve already covered the movie in the lounge that followed our swim, and I’ve only taken care of the basic nightly computing before starting this little write-up. That’s all the news for today, and I’m way past ready to have a long nap now, so...
...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!
